Those Willing to Take the Bait

The Dream-Eating Marquis rubbed his chubby face with his left hand.

He had some friendship with Lan Ziya in his early years, but they hadn't seen each other much in the past two years. However, he would still send gifts to Lan Ziya during holidays.

After all, he held a prestigious position in the capital and possessed immense wealth. Sometimes, when people from the Dream-Eating Marquis Manor's mansion came to do business, they would even need to borrow some of Lan Ziya's warehouses.

To be honest, Dream-Eating Marquis used to envy the old man's current situation.

However, when he tried to invite Lan Ziya to leave the capital, he realized that it would indeed be quite difficult for Lan Ziya to leave the city.

However, after making inquiries from various sources, the Dream-Eating Marquis discovered...

In the past two years, Master Diantou has invited Lan Ziya to go on trips many times.

Especially in the last six months, the intervals between invitations have become shorter and shorter.

The Dream-Eating Marquis had an idea: he would wander outside the city and try to have a chance encounter.

Since he personally invited Lan Ziya away, Master Diantou probably wouldn't be able to forcefully dissuade him.

But he didn't expect that someone with the surname Gao would also be there today.

As a master of Plum Blossom Numerology Divination, Gao Ye's aura is easily undetectable to others, yet Gao Ye can see through their movements.

"Haha, it's Lord Gao."

The Dream-Eating Marquis stepped forward and made a shushing gesture.

"This Marquis is renowned and has countless followers. If my identity were revealed, it would surely attract countless young men and women eager to see me."

He waved his hand dismissively.

"Oh dear, as you all know, I've always been a low-key person and don't like this kind of thing."

Gao Ye said coldly, "If it's inconvenient for the Marquis to reveal his identity to the common people, he could at least secretly inform the Six Gates."

"Don't forget, the Marquis received the imperial edict and received the imperial title, he is not an ordinary barbarian.

The Dream-Eating Marquis's mind raced, and suddenly he thought of a reason, slapping his thigh.

"Lord Gao, you absolutely cannot tell the Six Gates! Have you forgotten that your son is also a huge fan of my works? If he finds out, won't he just tell his fellow enthusiasts?!"

Gao Ye's expression shifted slightly, and he habitually turned the ring on his left hand.

This Duke Yi had great ambitions from a young age, believing that he was born to achieve great feats. Since taking charge of the Six Gates, he has used every means to seize power and profit.

However, he had few children, his wife died early, and he doted on his only son.

That young master of the Gao Lineage, however, was a womanizer. He hunted among women and used countless tricks. Over the years, some of his sadistic acts made Gao Ye frown.

The Duke's mansion employs a special group of people to handle related matters and prevent leaks, so as not to damage the young master's reputation.

As the younger generation grows older, they will naturally become more sensible and know how to conceal their true feelings.

Moreover, this young man has quite remarkable martial arts talent, and the Duke's mansion has countless elixirs to supply him, so there's no need to worry about him depleting his health.

However, in recent years, the young master of the Gao Lineage has lost interest in ordinary women, and has not become "mature" as Gao Ye had hoped. Instead, he has become addicted to his dreams.

It's just buying dreams; there's no need to cover it up like we did with the things that happened before.

But Gao Ye was even more unhappy.

Those past events could be described as tempering one's mind and cultivating a ruthless nature characteristic of a true man.

But what about being addicted to dreams?

The mention of the Dream-Eating Marquis only fueled his anger, and he became secretly on guard.

This fat man is someone of considerable status. Why would he specifically remember who bought the dream? Could it be that this man knows about some of the child's past "playful" antics and wants to take advantage of him?

Dream-Eating Marquis know that his opponent had already thought of so many things in a short time.

He noticed Gao Ye staring at him, but a sense of unease crept into his heart as he thought about something else.

Buried deep within his soul is a silkworm cocoon formed from Chu Tianshu's inner power.

Gao Ye cultivated the profound Plum Blossom Yi Numerology Mystic Art, claiming that when his mind was still, he could make the world clear and cold, and perceive all things clearly.

At this moment, Gao Ye's expression was deep and his mood seemed very calm. Had he already seen the silkworm cocoon?

If Gao Ye were to remove the silkworm cocoons, should I help him, or... oh, of course I should help him!

But what if the cocoons burst open and kill me first?

The Dream-Eating Marquis was conflicted; he certainly wanted to see Chu Tianshu and Gao Ye fight.

But what if you were to use your own soul as a battlefield?

That's completely unnecessary!

Upon realizing this, the Dream-Eating Marquis secretly activated the true and illusory energy of the "Dream-Savoring Divine Art" to further conceal the silkworm cocoon.

Strangely enough, the martial arts conception in the silkworm cocoon was profound and vast, which should have been unfamiliar to him, but he always felt that there were traces of it that were quite related to his own Dream-Savoring Divine Art.

His deliberate use of his inner energy to conceal it was truly like the Weaver Girl's bag leaving no opening—a flawless cover.

"You two."

Seeing that the two of them had been staring at each other for a long time without saying a word, Master Diantou couldn't help but reach out and wave his hand in front of them.

"You two are nobles of the court; it would be beneath your dignity to stand facing each other in this marketplace. Since our meeting is a matter of fate, why don't we travel together?"

Lan Ziya also asked, "Dream Marquis, have you come to the capital to seek a dream?"

"No, I'm inviting you to a banquet."

The Dream-Eating Marquis laughed, "Brother Ziya, back when I was collecting and selling dreams, you were the first person to invest in me. I've always remembered that. Later, when I created the Crystal Dream, the first finished product was also delivered to your residence."

"I've recently discovered a new way to play, and I'd really like to invite you to check it out."

Although he was not good at scheming, he cultivated the Dream-Savoring Divine Art, which had the effect of illusory reality, so his words were seven parts sincere.

Anyone would agree that his words were full of sincerity.

Gao Ye observed carefully, his brows furrowing slightly, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

That's true. This fat man is notoriously naive and clueless. If it weren't for his extraordinary talent, his mastery of extraordinary skills, and the help of a benefactor, he would never have had the chance to become famous in the martial arts world.

What he just said wasn't a veiled threat; it was something he genuinely thought.

Lan Ziya glanced at Gao Ye out of the corner of his eye and said calmly, "Where can we see this new way of playing? Can't you bring it with you?"

"We've recently been creating a grand, beautiful dream in the Jingxiang region. Once the atmosphere is perfected, it will be absolutely amazing."

Dream-Eating Marquis talked about this, he became even more animated, gesturing wildly with his hands and feet.

"I can already imagine how many of my future Crystal Dream can be inspired by this momentous event in Jingxiang."

"However, this requires everyone's participation; I can't move it all by myself. Why don't you come with me to take a look?"

The masses?

Gao Ye suddenly became alert.

When any high-ranking official in the imperial court hears such words, their first reaction is to become uneasy.

The imperial court holds supreme power over the world and rules over the people; therefore, all matters concerning the masses should be led by the imperial court.

You yourselves have started a massive undertaking involving tens of thousands of people; where will the imperial court fit in?

Although the Dream-Eating Marquis was a fool, he probably lacked both the ambition and ability to contend for the world.

But if he sows any seeds of discord and a major popular uprising breaks out in the future, it won't look good for the imperial court.

Lan Ziya smiled and sighed, "I'm too old, the road is too far, I can't go."

"Hahaha."

Gao Ye suddenly smiled, "Lord Xuantan, with our speed and agility, if we were to travel at our leisure, it wouldn't take long to reach Jingxiang or even the far Far West."

"Dream-Eating Marquis Eater is so sincere; if we don't go and see him, wouldn't we be disappointing him?"

Lan Ziya asked curiously, "Lord Gao, you also wish to go?"

"Certainly."

Gao Ye patted his chest and said, "Jingxiang Non-Self the most desirable place under the emperor's nose, nor is it the scholarly land of Jiangnan. Private feuds are rampant there, it's a poor and treacherous place, full of unruly people."

"The officials in the court have long been concerned about this and have repeatedly tried to educate them, but the unruly people are simply ungrateful."

"If the Dream-Eating Marquis can create a dream this time, making the unruly people addicted to it and preventing them from causing trouble, that would be a good thing. But if he manages to make things worse, then I will have to deal with him as soon as possible."

Lan Ziya frowned upon hearing the words "discipline" from him.

"Lord Gao, back then when the imperial court solicited donations from the people, the gold, silver, and grain I donated were piled up like mountains. I remember that the first item on the list of donations was to rebuild Jingxiang."

"I wonder where all that money and grain I had back then went?"

Gao Ye was taken aback.

Everyone knows where all that money and supplies went, why do you have to say it out loud?

Anyway, you're just a big money-collecting machine that gathers money from all over the world for everyone, so we'll give you the respect you deserve. Isn't that good enough?

Lan Ziya chuckled softly upon seeing his reaction.

"I wasn't this old back then, and I wasn't this clear-headed either."

"Now that I think about it, it's been a long time since I've been to Jingxiang. This time, regardless of whether things are good or bad in Jingxiang, I still want to draw funds from merchants in various places to donate another sum of money and grain."

Lan Ziya flicked his sleeve.

"But if too many people in Jingxiang and Xiangyang die, leaving only desolation, I fear I will lose the will to do anything in the future."

Upon hearing this, Gao Ye's expression darkened slightly. No one had dared to threaten him for a long time, but this was, after all, the God of Wealth.

"All the people under heaven are subjects of the imperial court. I am like their father and grandfather; how could I not care for them? Then bring fewer people."

Gao Ye spoke calmly, waving his left hand.

A pale pink light, soaring to the heavens, bursting open to reveal a huge plum blossom-shaped aura.

One hundred and eight figures suddenly appeared from all over the city and city walls, each dressed in gray cloth, black boots, and equipped with a sword.

There were 108 people, both men and women, of different ages, but at first glance, they all seemed to have been cut from the same mold.

Their strikingly similar demeanor creates a strange sense of unease.

The vendors in the market were so shocked that they all stood frozen in place.

Regardless of what the vendors were doing, even the hands and feet of their companions froze and stopped, staring at the scene, feeling as if they didn't know where to put their own hands and feet.

"Sea of Bitterness Dharma Protectors?"

Lan Ziya looked at these people, "The imperial guards who serve Venerable Changti, it is said that these people have cultivated the ascetic methods to their very bones, they are neither male nor female, with hearts of stone and minds of iron."

"No monastery in the world can compare with these people in terms of the intensity of their ascetic practices."

"However, if asceticism is for the purpose of cultivating compassion and seeing the true nature of reality, can the asceticism of these people still be considered true nature?"

Master Diantou saw these people, a deep sense of apprehension flashed in his eyes. He clasped his hands together and softly chanted a Buddhist prayer.

The Dream-Eating Marquis Eater looked intently, and was greatly surprised.

The Dream-Savoring Divine Art allows one to see people's dreams; only those whose obsessions manifest as dreams are worth purchasing.

But besides obsessive dreams, there are also ordinary dreams, and even dreams without dreams.

Many martial arts masters believe they have no dreams, but in reality, their dreams simply cannot fully take shape, and they are unaware of them.

Therefore, everyone should have a hint of dreaminess between their brows.

But when he looked at these people, he could hardly see any trace of dreams in them.

Gao Ye sleeves hung low, and he looked satisfied.

"The Perfected Person moves as if guided by a weapon, the great monk endures without ceasing; the true paths of Daoism and Buddhism, though different, lead to the same destination, and this is how it should be."

"Only with such protection can we mortals cross the sea of suffering! Hahahaha!"

Gao Ye smiled and led his men on their journey.

The Dream-Eating Marquis, carrying a haystack, followed after them, the silkworm cocoon buried in his soul shimmering slightly.

In the Jingxiang region, temples Zongheng.

Chu Tianshu's ears twitched, and he stood up to look outside the temple.

"That's slander! My place is a beautiful place, how could it resemble a sea of suffering, how could it resemble hell?"

"Still calling them troublemakers? Humph!"

Chu Tianshu thought to himself, "There are fewer experts who came directly from the capital than I expected."

"However, using the Sea of Bitterness Dharma Protectors will likely attract more scrutiny from the martial world than previously anticipated."

"Hmm, it seems I won't need to be so amiable anymore; I'll have to be stricter then."